Semiconductor structure

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor structure is provided. The semiconductor structure includes a gate structure over a substrate. The semiconductor structure also includes a gate spacer on a sidewall of the gate structure. The semiconductor structure also includes a source/drain feature adjacent to the gate structure. The semiconductor structure also includes a doped region extending along a bottom surface of the gate spacer. The source/drain feature has a curved sidewall connecting a top surface of the doped region and a bottom surface of the doped region.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No.16/924,541, filed on Jul. 9, 2020, which is a Divisional application ofU.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 15/652,719, filed on Jul. 18, 2017, theentire of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapidgrowth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have producedgenerations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complexcircuits than the previous generation. However, these advances haveincreased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs and, forthese advances to be realized, similar developments in IC processing andmanufacturing are needed. In the course of IC evolution, functionaldensity (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) hasgenerally increased while geometric size (i.e., the smallest componentthat can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased.

Despite groundbreaking advances in materials and fabrication, scalingplanar devices such as the metal-oxide-semiconductor field effecttransistor (MOSFET) device has proven challenging. To overcome thesechallenges, circuit designers look to novel structures to deliverimproved performance, which has resulted in the development ofthree-dimensional designs, such as fin-like field effect transistors(FinFETs). The FinFET is fabricated with a thin vertical “fin” (or finstructure) extending up from a substrate. The channel of the FinFET isformed in this vertical fin. A gate is provided over the fin to allowthe gate to control the channel from multiple sides. Advantages of theFinFET may include a reduction of the short channel effect, reducedleakage, and higher current flow.

However, since feature sizes continue to decrease, fabrication processescontinue to become more difficult to perform. Therefore, it is achallenge to form a reliable semiconductor structure including theFinFET.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It shouldbe noted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIGS. 1A-1C are perspective views of various stages of a process forforming a semiconductor structure, in accordance with some embodiments;

FIGS. 2A-2C are cross-sectional views of various stages of a process forforming a semiconductor structure shown in FIGS. 1A-1C, in accordancewith some embodiments;

FIGS. 2D-2M are cross-sectional views of various stages of a process forforming a semiconductor structure, in accordance with some embodiments;and

FIGS. 3A-3J are cross-sectional views of various stages of a process forforming a semiconductor structure, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the provided subjectmatter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are describedbelow to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merelyexamples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formationof a first feature over or on a second feature in the description thatfollows includes embodiments in which the first and second features areformed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in whichadditional features may be formed between the first and second features,such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact.The present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters insome various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicityand clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between somevarious embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Furthermore, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,”“lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature’s relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted inthe figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degreesor at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors usedherein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

Some embodiments of the disclosure are described. Additional operationscan be provided before, during, and/or after the stages described inthese embodiments. Some of the stages that are described can be replacedor eliminated for different embodiments. Additional features can beadded to the semiconductor device structure. Some of the featuresdescribed below can be replaced or eliminated for different embodiments.Although some embodiments are discussed with operations performed in aparticular order, these operations may be performed in another logicalorder.

The fins may be patterned by any suitable method. For example, the finsmay be patterned using one or more photolithography processes, includingdouble-patterning or multi-patterning processes. Generally,double-patterning or multi-patterning processes combine photolithographyand self-aligned processes, allowing patterns to be created that have,for example, pitches smaller than what is otherwise obtainable using asingle, direct photolithography process. For example, in one embodiment,a sacrificial layer is formed over a substrate and patterned using aphotolithography process. Spacers are formed alongside the patternedsacrificial layer using a self-aligned process. The sacrificial layer isthen removed, and the remaining spacers may then be used to pattern thefins.

Embodiments of a semiconductor structure and a method for forming thesame are provided. FIGS. 1A-1C are perspective views of various stagesof a process for forming a semiconductor structure (e.g. thesemiconductor structures 600A and 600B), in accordance with someembodiments. FIGS. 2A-2C are cross-sectional views along the line A-A′to show various stages of a process for forming the semiconductorstructure 600 shown in FIGS. 1A-1C, in accordance with some embodiments.FIGS. 2D-2M are cross-sectional views of various stages of a process forforming the semiconductor structure 600A after performing the stageshown in FIG. 2C. FIGS. 3A-3J are cross-sectional views of variousstages of a process for forming the semiconductor structure 600B afterperforming the stage shown in FIG. 2C.

In some embodiments, a gate-replacement process is employed to fabricatethe semiconductor structure 600A (or 600B), such as a fin field effecttransistor (FinFET) (e.g. FinFETs 500A, 500B and 500C).

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2A, a substrate 200 including a fin structure204 is received. In some embodiments, the substrate 200 may be asemiconductor substrate, such as a bulk semiconductor, asemiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, or the like, which may bedoped (e.g. with a P-type or an N-type dopant) or undoped. The substrate50 may be a wafer, such as a silicon wafer. Generally, an SOI substrateincludes a layer of a semiconductor material formed on an insulatorlayer. The insulator layer may be, for example, a buried oxide (BOX)layer, a silicon oxide layer, or the like. The insulator layer isprovided on a substrate, typically a silicon or glass substrate. Othersubstrates, such as a multi-layered or gradient substrate may also beused. In some embodiments, the semiconductor material of the substrate200 may include silicon; germanium; a compound semiconductor includingsilicon carbide, gallium arsenic, gallium phosphide, indium phosphide,indium arsenide, and/or indium antimonide; an alloy semiconductorincluding SiGe, GaAsP, AlInAs, AlGaAs, GaInAs, GaInP, and/or GaInAsP; orcombinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the substrate 200 has a first region 350A and asecond region 350B. The first region 350A may be for forming N-typedevices, such as NMOS transistors, such as N-type FinFETs (e.g. FinFETs500A and 500B). The second region 350B can be for forming P-typedevices, such as PMOS transistors, such as P-type FinFETs (e.g. a FinFET500C). In some embodiments, the first region 350A and the second region350B are respectively formed by epitaxially growing differentsemiconductor materials.

In some embodiments, a mask layer, such as a pad oxide layer (not shown)and an overlying pad nitride layer (not shown), is formed over a topsurface 205 of the substrate 200. The pad oxide layer may be a thin filmincluding silicon oxide formed, for example, using a thermal oxidationprocess. The pad oxide layer may act as an adhesion layer between thesubstrate 200 and the overlying pad nitride layer and may act as an etchstop layer for etching the pad nitride layer. In some embodiments, thepad nitride layer is formed of silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride,silicon carbide, silicon carbonitride, the like, or a combinationthereof, and may be formed using low-pressure chemical vapor deposition(LPCVD) or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), asexamples.

After forming the mask layer over the top surface 205 of the substrate200, a patterning process (not shown) may be performed to pattern themask layer. The patterning process includes a photolithography processand an etching process. The photolithography process includesphotoresist coating (e.g. spin-on coating), soft baking, mask aligning,exposure, post-exposure baking, developing the photoresist, rinsing anddrying (e.g. hard baking). The etching process may include a dry etchingprocess or a wet etching process. As a result, a patterned mask layer isformed.

After forming the patterned mask layer, an etching process (not shown)is performed on the substrate 200 to form trenches 202A and 202B byremoving a portion of the substrate 200 from the top surface 205 of thesubstrate 200. Therefore, the fin structure 204 is formed along adirection 300 and is positioned between the trenches 202A in thesubstrate 200. The top surface 205 may serve as a top surface of the finstructure 204. In addition, the trench 202B is formed in the finstructure 204. The etching process may be any acceptable dry etchingprocess, such as a reactive ion etching (RIE), neutral beam etching(NBE), the like, or a combination thereof. The etching process may beanisotropic. The etching process may use a fluorine-based etchant gas,such as SF₆, C_(x)F_(y), NF₃ or a combination thereof. In someembodiments, the trenches 202A may be strips (viewed from in the top)parallel to each other, and closely spaced with respect to each other.In some embodiments, the trenches 202A may be continuous and surroundthe fin structure 204. After the fin structure 204 is formed, thepatterned mask layer may be removed by etching or any other suitablemethod.

After forming the fin structure 204 and the trenches 202A and 202B,isolation regions 206 and 207 are formed over the substrate 200 and fillthe trenches 202A and 202B. The isolation regions 206 and 207 may beformed by a deposition process, a planarization process and a subsequentremoval process. The deposition process is performed to deposit aninsulation material (not shown) over the substrate 200 and fill thetrenches 202A and 202B. In some embodiments, the insulation material ismade of a low-k dielectric material including silicon oxide, siliconnitride, silicon oxynitride, fluoride-doped silicate glass (FSG) or acombination thereof. The deposition process may include a chemical vapordeposition (CVD) process, a spin-on-glass process, or another applicableprocess. The CVD process may include a high density plasma chemicalvapor deposition (HDP-CVD), a flowable CVD (FCVD) (e.g. a CVD-basedmaterial deposition in a remote plasma system and post curing to convertit to another material, such as an oxide), the like, or a combinationthereof. A planarization process, such as a chemical mechanicalpolishing (CMP) process, may remove any excess insulation material overthe top surface (e.g. the top surface 205) of the fin structure 204.Afterwards, a removal process is performed to recess the insulationmaterial in the trenches 202A. Therefore, the isolation regions 206 areformed in the trenches 202A and the isolation region 207 is formed inthe trench 202B.

The isolation regions 206 and 207 may be shallow trench isolation (STI)structures surrounding the fin structure 204. A lower portion of the finstructure 204 is surrounded by the isolation structures 206, and anupper portion of the fin structure 204 protrudes from a top surface 208of each of the isolation structures 206. In other words, a portion ofthe fin structure 204 is embedded in the isolation structures 206. Theisolation regions 206 and 207 may electrically isolate an active region(not shown) of the semiconductor structure 600A (or 600B) from otheractive regions.

After the isolation regions 206 and 207 are formed, a dummy gatestructure 215A is formed over the fin structure 204 in the first region350A and a dummy gate structure 215C is formed over the fin structure204 in the second region 350B, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 2B in accordancewith some embodiments. A hard mask layer 214A is formed over the dummygate structure 215A in the first region 350A, and a hard mask layer 214Cis formed on the dummy gate structure 215C in the second region 350B. Inaddition, the dummy gate structures 215A and 215C are formed over theisolation structures 206 and separated from each other by the isolationregion 207.

In some embodiments, the dummy gate structures 215A and 215C coverrespective channel regions of the resulting finFETs (e.g. FinFETs500A-500C) fin structure 204 in the first region 350A and in the secondregion 350B. The dummy gate structures 215A and 215C may extend along adirection 302 and arranged along the direction 300. In addition, thedummy gate structures 215A and 215C are arranged on opposite sides ofthe isolation region 207. In some embodiments, the direction 302, whichis different from the direction 300, is perpendicular to the direction300. In some embodiments, the dummy gate structures 215A and 215C coverthe top surface 205 and sidewalls of the fin structure 204, and extendover the isolation region 206 and the substrate 200 outside the finstructure 204.

In some embodiments, each of the dummy gate structures 215A and 215Cincludes a gate dielectric (not shown) and a gate electrode (not shown)formed over the gate dielectric. In some embodiments, the gatedielectric is silicon dioxide. In some embodiments, the silicon dioxideis a thermally grown oxide. In some embodiments, the gate dielectric isa high dielectric constant (high-k) dielectric material. A high-kdielectric material has a dielectric constant (k) higher than that ofsilicon dioxide. Examples of high-k dielectric materials include hafniumoxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon oxynitride, hafniumdioxide-alumina alloy, hafnium silicon oxide, hafnium siliconoxynitride, hafnium tantalum oxide, hafnium titanium oxide, hafniumzirconium oxide, another suitable high-k material, or a combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the gate electrode includespolycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si), polycrystalline silicon-germanium(poly-SiGe), metallic nitride, metallic silicide, metallic oxide, metal,and other suitable layers. In some embodiments, the gate electrode ismade of, for example, polysilicon.

In some embodiments, each of the hard mask layers 214A and 214C includesa single layer structure or a multi-layer structure. In someembodiments, the hard mask layers 214A and 214C are made of siliconoxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide, anothersuitable material, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the formation of the dummy gate structures 215A and215C and the hard mask layers 214A and 214C includes a depositionprocess and a subsequent patterning process. The deposition process isperformed to deposit a gate dielectric material layer (not shown), agate electrode material layer (not shown) and a hard mask material (notshown) in sequence. The patterning process is then performed topartially remove the gate dielectric material layer, the gate electrodematerial layer and a hard mask material. Therefore, the dummy gatestructure 215A and the overlying hard mask layer 214A are formed in thefirst region 350A and the dummy gate structure 215C and the overlyinghard mask layer 214C are formed in the second region 350B. In someembodiments, the deposition process includes a chemical vapor deposition(CVD) process, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process, an atomiclayer deposition (ALD) process, a thermal oxidation process, or anotherapplicable process. In some embodiments, the patterning process includesa photolithography process and a subsequent etching process. In someembodiments, the etching process is a dry etching process.

After the dummy gate structures 215A and 215C and the hard mask layers214A and 214C are formed, a gate spacer layer 218 is entirely formedover the fin structure 204, the dummy gate structures 215A and 215C andthe hard mask layers 214A and 214C in the first region 350A and thesecond region 350B, as shown in FIGS. 1C and 2C in accordance with someembodiments. In addition, the gate spacer layer 218 is conformallyformed over the dummy gate structures 215A and 215C. In someembodiments, the gate spacer layer 218 includes a single layer structureor a multi-layer structure. The gate spacer layer 218 may be made ofsilicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide,silicon carbonitride, another suitable material, or a combinationthereof. The gate spacer layer 218 may be deposited using a chemicalvapor deposition (CVD) process, a physical vapor deposition (PVD)process, a spin-on process, another applicable process, or a combinationthereof.

After the gate spacer layer 218 is formed, lightly doped regions (notshown) are formed at opposite sides of each of the dummy gate structures215A and 215C, in accordance with some embodiments. The lightly dopedregions may serve as lightly doped source or lightly doped drain(LDS/LDD) regions of the semiconductor structure 600. Short channeleffects may be mitigated by the lightly doped regions. In someembodiments, the lightly doped regions (not shown) are formed by a lightion implantation process and a subsequent annealing process using thedummy gate structures 215A and 215C as an implantation mask. In someother embodiments, one or more additional gate spacer layers (not shown)are formed over the gate spacer layer 218 to increase the distancebetween the resulting metal gate structure and the drain feature, sothat the gate-to-drain capacitance (Cf) of the semiconductor structureis reduced.

FIGS. 2D-2M are cross-sectional views of various stages of a process forforming a semiconductor structure 600A including the after performingthe stage of the process for forming a semiconductor structure 600Ashown in FIGS. 1C and 2C. In addition, FIGS. 2D-2H illustrate variousstages of a process for forming the source/drain features 220A of theFinFET 500A (e.g. the N-type FinFET) in the first region 350A (e.g. theNMOS region) of the semiconductor structure 600A.

After the lightly doped regions (not shown) are formed, a mask layer352, such as a photoresist (PR), is formed to cover the fin structure204 in the second region 350B, as shown in FIG. 2D in accordance withsome embodiments. In some embodiments, the mask layer 352 is formed by adeposition process and a subsequent photolithography process. Thedeposition process is performed to form a photoresist material (notshown) over the fin structure 204, the dummy gate structures 215A and215C and the hard mask layers 214A and 214C, and the isolation regions206 and 207 in the first region 350A and the second region 350B.Afterwards, the photolithography process is performed to patterned thephotoresist material to expose the first region 350A (e.g. an NMOSregion) while covering the second region 350B. Therefore, the mask layer352 is formed. In some embodiments, the deposition process includes aspin-on process. In addition, the photolithography process includesphotoresist coating (e.g. spin-on coating), soft baking, mask aligning,exposure, post-exposure baking, developing the photoresist, rinsing anddrying (e.g. hard baking).

After the mask layer 352 is formed, the gate spacers 218A are formed onopposite sidewalls of the dummy gate structure 215A and over the finstructure 204, as shown in FIG. 2D in accordance with some embodiments.In some embodiments, the gate spacers 218A are formed by an etchingprocess. The etching process is performed to remove the gate spacerlayer 218 until the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204 is exposed.The material of the gate spacers 218A may be silicon oxide, siliconnitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide, silicon carbonitride,another suitable material, or a combination thereof. In someembodiments, the etching process includes a dry etch process.

After the gate spacers 218A are formed, a plasma doping process 360 isperformed for the first region 350A, as shown in FIG. 2E in accordancewith some embodiments. In some embodiments, the plasma doping process360 includes a deposition process and a knock-on process. In addition,the deposition process and the knock-on process may be in-situ (orsimultaneously) performed in the same chamber of a semiconductorprocessing system. The deposition process of the plasma doping process360 may be performed to form a dopant source layer 354 over the gatespacers 218A, the hard mask layer 214A and the dummy gate structure 215Ain the first region 350A. In addition, the dopant source layer 354 isformed over the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204 that is notcovered by the gate spacers 218A, the hard mask layer 214A and the dummygate structure 215A.

In some embodiments, the dopant source layer 354 includes dopants 356.The dopants 356 may include phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb)or boron (B). In some embodiments, the deposition process is performedby using a suitable dopant source gases (e.g. an N-type dopant sourcegases) for the first region 350A (e.g. an NMOS region). For example, thedopant source gases may include the arsine gas (AsH₃). The arsine gas(AsH₃) can be dissociated into As, AsH and AsH2, which may be depositedon the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204 in the first region350A. Furthermore, the deposition process may also include a dilutiongas, such as argon (Ar), neon (Ne), helium (He), hydrogen (H), krypton(Kr), xenon (Xe), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, athickness T1 of the dopant source layer 354 is in a range from about 5 Åto 50 Å.

The knock-on process of the plasma doping process 360 is configured todrive the dopants 356 of the dopant source layer 354 into a portion ofthe fin structure 204 in the first region 350A (e.g. the NMOS region).The knock-on process may include injecting a knock-on gas in the firstregion 350A. The knock-on process may be used to uniformly push thedopants 356 of the dopant source layer 354 into the portion of the finstructure 204 from the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204.Therefore, the doped regions 362A including the dopants 356 are formedadjacent to the outer sidewalls 213A of the gate spacers 218A in thefirst region 350A. The knock-on process is performed by using an inertgas including xenon (Xe), helium (He), argon (Ar), neon (Ne), krypton(Kr), the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, theplasma doping process 360 is performed using a gas source including theN-type dopant (e.g. As) and Xe, with an implantation energy in a rangefrom about 0.1 KeV to about 10 KeV. The dosage of the dopant (e.g. As)may be in a range from about 1E15 atoms/cm² to about 1E17 atoms/cm². Thegas source (e.g. As and Xe) may be activated into plasma by any suitablemethod of generating the plasma, such as transformer coupled plasmagenerator, inductively coupled plasma systems, magnetically enhancedreactive ion etching, electron cyclotron resonance, a remote plasmagenerator, or the like.

After the plasma doping process 360 is performed, the doped regions 362Aare formed extending from the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204into a portion of the fin structure 204. In addition, the doped regions362A are formed outside the outer sidewalls 213A of the gate spacers218A in the first region 350A. The concentration of the dopants 356 inthe doped regions 362A may be in a range from about 1E19 atoms/cm³ toabout 1E21 atoms/cm³.

After the doped regions 362A are formed, the dopant source layer 354 isremoved from the first region 350A using a wet etching process or othersuitable method. In some embodiments, a wet etching process is performedusing sulfuric peroxide mixture (SPM), which is an acid including H₂SO₄and H₂O₂. The SPM has an etch selectivity between the dopant sourcelayer 354 and the gate spacers 218A and between the dopant source layer354 and the hard mask layer 214A. Therefore, the SPM may remove dopantsource layer 354 without substantially attacking the gate spacers 218Aand the hard mask layer 214A. In some embodiments, the wet etchingprocess conditions (e.g. time, temperature) are controlled such that thewet etching process removes the dopant source layer 354 withoutsubstantially removing the dopants 356 in the doped regions 362A (andembedded in the gate spacers 218A) in the first region 350A. In someembodiments, the wet etching process is performed for a time interval ina range from about 15 seconds to about 180 seconds, such as 45 seconds,using a high temperature SPM solution at a temperature from about 80° C.to about 200° C.

After the dopant source layer 354 is removed, an annealing process 361is performed to diffuse the dopants 356 in the fin structure 204, sothat the diffused doped region 362A is formed in a portion of the finstructure 204, as shown in FIG. 2F in accordance with some embodiments.In some embodiments, the diffused doped region 362A is laterally (alongthe direction 300) diffused under the gate spacers 218A. In other words,the diffused doped region 362A overlaps the gate spacers 218A. Thediffused doped region 362A may have a depth D1 in a range from about 0.1nm to 10 nm. The depth D1 is along a direction perpendicular to the topsurface 205 of the fin structure 204. In some embodiments, the annealingprocess 361 may be performed in the same chamber as the plasma dopingprocess 360. In some embodiments, the annealing process may be performedin a chamber different from the chamber used in the plasma dopingprocess 360. The annealing process 361 may activate the dopants 356(e.g. the N-type dopant) in the doped regions 362A. In addition, theannealing process 361 may drive the dopants 356 (e.g. the N-typedopants) embedded in the gate spacers 218A into the fin structure 204 inthe first region 350A. In some embodiments, the annealing process 361 isa spike annealing process performed at a temperature in a range fromabout 1000° C. to about 1050° C., such as 1045° C., for a time intervalin a range from about 1 second to about 2 seconds, and in a ambientincluding O₂.

The high temperature (e.g. 1045° C.) of the annealing process 361 helpsto drive the dopants 356 into the corresponding fin structure 204,however, such a high temperature also increases the outgassing of thedopants 362A (e.g. As). Outgassing of the dopants 362A results in lowerconcentration of the dopant in the LDD region to be formed in the finstructure 204 in the first region 350A. Outgassing may also pose asafety issue for the production tool. The O₂ in the ambient gas mayreduce outgassing of the dopant. For example, if dopant 362A is As, O₂reacts (e.g. oxidizes) with the As at the surface of the fin structure204 in the first region 350A and forms an oxide film (e.g. an oxide ofAs, not shown individually) over the fin structure 204. This oxide filmserves to prevent or reduce outgassing of As during the annealingprocess 361. In some embodiments, the annealing process 361 (e.g. thespike annealing process) is performed in a gas environment includingabout 2% to about 3% of O₂ and about 97% to about 98% of N₂.

After the diffused doped region 362A is formed, an etching process 363is performed to remove the doped region 362A and the underlying finstructure 204 in the first region 350A and not covered by the dummy gatestructure 215A and the gate spacers 218A, as shown in FIG. 2G inaccordance with some embodiments. The etching process 363 is performedto form recesses 219A adjacent the gate spacers 218A and in the finstructure 204 in the first region 350A. The recesses 219A are configuredto provide positions of a source/drain features formed in the subsequentprocesses.

In some embodiments, the etching process 363 has a first etching rateduring the removal of the doped region 362A including the dopants 356 inthe first region 350A of the fin structure 204 and has a second etchingrate during the removal of the fin structure 204 underlying the dopedregion 362A. The dopants 356 (e.g. the N-type dopants) in the dopedregion 362A may increase the etching rate due to the higher electrondensity caused by coulomb attraction. Therefore, the first etching ratemay be different from the second etching rate. For example, the firstetching rate is faster than the second etching rate. In someembodiments, the etching process 363 is a dry etching process. In someembodiments, etching gases used in the etching process 363 include HBr,NF₃, O₂ and other suitable etching gases.

In some embodiments, each of the recesses 219A has an upper sidewallportion 364 adjacent to the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204 anda lower sidewall portion 365 below the upper sidewall portion 364. Theupper sidewall portion 364 and the lower sidewall portion 365 of each ofthe recesses 219A may be close to the channel region of thesemiconductor structure 600A. The upper sidewall portion 364 is adjacentto and is surrounded by the doped region 362A. In addition, the lowersidewall portion 365 is adjacent to the upper sidewall portion 364.Moreover, the lower sidewall portion 365 is positioned outside and belowthe doped region 362A. In some embodiments, the upper sidewall portion364 of each of the recesses 219A is positioned directly below thecorresponding gate spacer 218A, and the lower sidewall portion 365 isaligned the outer sidewall 213A of the corresponding gate spacer 218A.

In some embodiments, the upper sidewall portion 364 and the lowersidewall portion 365 of each of the recesses 219A have differentprofiles in the cross-sectional view (FIG. 2G) along the longitudinaldirection of the fin structure 204 (e.g. the direction 300). Forexample, the upper sidewall portion 364 may be a rounded (curved) andconcave sidewall portion, and the lower sidewall portion 365 may be asubstantially straight sidewall portion. The curvature of the uppersidewall portion 364 may be different from that of the lower sidewallportion 365. Therefore, the upper sidewall portion 364 and the lowersidewall portion 365 may collectively form a bent sidewall of each ofthe recesses 219A. The bent sidewall is positioned adjacent to thechannel region and the corresponding gate spacer 218A of thesemiconductor structure 600A.

After the recesses 219A is formed in the fin structure 204 in the firstregion 350A, source/drain features 220A are formed in the recesses 219Ain the first region 350A of the fin structure 204, as shown in FIG. 2Hin accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the fillingprocess (not shown) is performed by filling the recesses 219A with oneor more strained semiconductor materials to form the source/drainfeatures 220A.

In some embodiments, the source/drain features 220A are formed adjacentto or next to the lightly doped regions (not shown) close to the dummygate structure 215A. The source/drain features 220A are respectivelyformed on the opposites of the dummy gate structure 215A. In someembodiments, each of the source/drain features 220A has a portion 220A1embedded in the fin structure 204 (and below the top surface 205 of thefin structure 204. The portion 220A1 of each of the source/drainfeatures 220A may have an upper sidewall portion 394 and a lowersidewall portion 395. The upper sidewall portion 394 of the portion220A1 may be adjacent to the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204and close to the channel region of the semiconductor structure 600A. Inaddition, the upper sidewall portion 394 of the portion 220A1 may besurrounded by the doped region 362A. The lower sidewall portion 395 ofthe portion 220A1 may be positioned below the upper sidewall portion394.

In some embodiments, the upper sidewall portion 394 of the portion 220A1has a rounded (curved) and convex profile, and the lower sidewallportion 395 of the portion 220A1 has a straight profile shown in FIG.2H. Therefore, a first curve radius of the upper sidewall portion 394 ofthe portion 220A1 is different from a second curve radius of the lowersidewall portion 395 of the portion 220A1 in the cross-sectional view(FIG. 2H) along the longitudinal direction of the fin structure 204(e.g. the direction 300). In addition, the first curve radius of theupper sidewall portion 394 is less than the second curve radius of thelower sidewall portion 395 of the portion 220A1 of the source/drainfeature 220A in the first region 350A. For example, the first curveradius of the upper sidewall portion 394 has a positive value, and thesecond curve radius of the lower sidewall portion 395 has an infinitevalue. In other words, the absolute value of the first curve radius ofthe upper sidewall portion 394 is less than the absolute value of thesecond curve radius of the lower sidewall portion 395 of the portion220A1 of the source/drain feature 220A in the first region 350A.Moreover, the curvature of the upper sidewall portion 394 is differentfrom that of the lower sidewall portion 395. For example, the curvatureof the upper sidewall portion 394 is greater than the curvature of thelower sidewall portion 395.

In some embodiments, the portion 220A1 of each of the source/drainfeatures 220A in the first region 350A includes an upper portion 220A-1and a lower portion 220A-2. The upper portion 220A-1 is positioned closeto the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204 and overlapping thecorresponding gate spacer 218A. In addition, the lower portion 220A-2 ispositioned below the upper portion 220A-1. The upper portion 220A-1 ofthe portion 220A1 of each of the source/drain features 220A in the firstregion 350A has a convex edge (i.e. the upper sidewall portion 394). Thelower portion 220A-2 of the portion 220A1 of each of the source/drainfeatures 220A in the first region 350A has a straight edge (i.e. thelower sidewall portion 395).

In some embodiments, the upper portion 220A-1 of the portion 220A1 ofeach of the source/drain features 220A surrounded by the by the dopedregion 362A has a depth that is the same to the depth D1 of the diffuseddoped region 362A. In addition, the depth of the upper portion 220A-1(e.g. the depth D1) may be in a range from about 0.1 nm to 10 nm.Furthermore, the width WA-1 of the first upper portion 220A-1 is largerthan the width WA-2 of the first lower portion 220A-2. In someembodiments, a top of each of the source/drain features 220A is higherthan the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204.

In some embodiments, the plasma doping process 360 is performed to formthe doped region 362A having a shallow depth (e.g. the depth D1 in arange from about 0.1 nm to 10 nm) and a heavy concentration of N-typedopants (e.g. in a range from about 1E19 atoms/cm³ to about 1E21atoms/cm³), the upper portion 220A-1 of the portion 220A1 of each of thesource/drain features 220A is formed laterally extending toward thechannel region of the semiconductor structure 600A in the first region350A (e.g. the NMOS region), the carrier mobility and the deviceperformance of the semiconductor structure 600A can be improved byadjusting the proximity of the embedded portion (the upper portion220A-1 of the portion 220A1) of the source/drain features 220A (i.e. thedistance between the upper portion 220A-1 of the portion 220A1 and thechannel region of the resulting finFET of the semiconductor).

In some embodiments, the source/drain features 220A may include a strainmaterial to apply stress to the channel region. For example, thesource/drain features 220A are formed of Ge, SiGe, InAs, InGaAs, InSb,GaAs, GaSb, InAlP, InP, or the like. In some embodiments, the latticeconstant of the source/drain features 220A are different from thelattice constant of the fin structure 204. In some embodiments, thesource/drain features 220A have a diamond shape.

In some embodiments, the filling process includes an epitaxial process,such as a selective epitaxial growth (SEG) process, CVD depositiontechniques (e.g. vapor-phase epitaxy (VPE) and/or ultra-high vacuum CVD(UHV-CVD)), molecular beam epitaxy, or another suitable epitaxialprocess. After the source/drain features 220A are formed in the finstructure 204 in the first region 350A, the mask layer 352 is removed.

After the source/drain features 220A are formed, a mask layer 372, suchas a photoresist (PR), is formed to cover the fin structure 204 in thefirst region 350A, as shown in FIG. 2I in accordance with someembodiments. In some embodiments, the mask layer 372 is formed by adeposition process and a subsequent photolithography process. Thedeposition process is performed to form a photoresist material (notshown) over the fin structure 204, the dummy gate structures 215A and215C and the hard mask layers 214A and 214C, the source/drain features220A and the isolation regions 206 and 207 in the first region 350A andthe second region 350B. Afterwards, the photolithography process isperformed to patterned the photoresist material to expose the secondregion 350B (e.g. a PMOS region) while covering the first region 350A.Therefore, the mask layer 372 is formed. In some embodiments, thedeposition process includes a spin-on process. In addition, thephotolithography process includes photoresist coating (e.g. spin-oncoating), soft baking, mask aligning, exposure, post-exposure baking,developing the photoresist, rinsing and drying (e.g. hard baking).

After the mask layer 372 is formed, the gate spacers 218C are formed onopposite sidewalls of the dummy gate structure 215C and over the finstructure 204, as shown in FIG. 2I in accordance with some embodiments.In some embodiments, the gate spacers 218C are formed by an etchingprocess. The etching process is performed to remove the gate spacerlayer 218 until the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204 in thesecond region 350B is exposed. The material of the gate spacers 218C maybe silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide,silicon carbonitride, another suitable material, or a combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the etching process includes a dry etchprocess.

After the gate spacers 218C are is formed, an etching process (notshown) is performed to remove the fin structure 204 in the second region350B and not covered by the dummy gate structure 215C and the gatespacers 218C, as shown in FIG. 2J in accordance with some embodiments.Therefore, recesses 219C are formed adjacent the gate spacers 218C andin the fin structure 204 in the second region 350B. The recesses 219Care configured to provide positions of a source/drain features formed inthe subsequent processes.

In some embodiments, each of the recesses 219C has a sidewall portion404 substantially aligned to the outer sidewall 213C of thecorresponding gate spacer 218C. The sidewall portion 404 may have acontinuous and straight profile shown in FIG. 2J. In other words, theupper sidewall portion (close to the top surface 205 of the finstructure 204) and the lower sidewall portion (below the upper sidewallportion) of each of the recesses 219C have the same profiles in thecross-sectional view (FIG. 2J) along the longitudinal direction of thefin structure 204 (e.g. the direction 300). The profile of the sidewallportion 404 may extend substantially along the direction perpendicularto the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204.

After the recesses 219C is formed in the fin structure 204 in the secondregion 350B, source/drain features 220C are formed in the recesses 219Cin the second region 350B of the fin structure 204, as shown in FIG. 2Jin accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the fillingprocess (not shown) is performed by filling the recesses 219C with oneor more strained semiconductor materials to form the source/drainfeatures 220C.

In some embodiments, the source/drain features 220C are formed adjacentto or next to the lightly doped regions (not shown) close to the dummygate structure 215C. The source/drain features 220C are respectivelyformed on the opposites of the dummy gate structure 215C. In someembodiments, each of the source/drain features 220C has a portion 220C1embedded in the fin structure 204 (and below the top surface 205 of thefin structure 204. The portion 220C1 may have a sidewall portion 414. Insome embodiments, the sidewall portion 414 of the portion 220C1substantially aligned to the outer sidewall 213C of the correspondinggate spacer 218C. The sidewall portion 414 may have a continuous andstraight profile shown in FIG. 2J. In other words, the upper sidewallportion (close to the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204) and thelower sidewall portion (below the upper sidewall portion) of the portion220A1 have the same profiles in the cross-sectional view (FIG. 2J) alongthe longitudinal direction of the fin structure 204 (e.g. the direction300). The profile of the sidewall portion 414 may extend substantiallyalong the direction perpendicular to the top surface 205 of the finstructure 204.

After the source/drain features 220C are formed, a contact etch stoplayer (CESL) 221 and an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) layer 222 areformed over the fin structure 204, the source/drain features 220A and220C, and the dummy gate structures 215A and 215C, as shown in FIG. 2Kin accordance with some embodiments. The CESL 221 may be conformallyformed on the outer sidewalls 213A of the dummy gate structure 215A andthe outer sidewalls 213C of the dummy gate structure 215C. The ILD layer222 may be formed over the CESL 221 and may fill gaps between the dummygate structures 215A and 215C. In some embodiments, the dummy gatestructures 215A and 215C are surrounded by the ILD layer 222. Inaddition, the CESL 221 may serve as an etch stop layer of the subsequentetching process configured to form source/drain contact holes (notshown).

In some embodiments, the CESL 221 may be a single layer or multiplelayers. The CESL 221 may be made of silicon carbide (SiC), siliconnitride (SixNy), silicon carbonitride (SiCN), silicon oxycarbide (SiOC),silicon oxycarbon nitride (SiOCN), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) or anotherapplicable material. In some embodiments, the CESL 221 has a bi-layerstructure which includes a TEOS layer formed on a SiC layer. A TEOSlayer has better moisture prevention than a silicon carbide (SiC) layer.In addition, a SiC layer is used as a glue layer to improve adhesionbetween the underlying layer and the TEOS layer. In some embodiments,the CESL 221 is formed by performing a plasma enhanced chemical vapordeposition (CVD) process, a low pressure CVD process, an atomic layerdeposition (ALD) process, or another applicable process.

After the CESL 221 is formed, a deposition process is performed to formthe ILD layer 222 over the CESL 221. Afterwards, a planarization processis performed to level the top surfaces of CESL 221, the ILD layer 222,the gate spacers 218A and 218C, and the dummy gate structures 215A and215C, as shown in FIG. 2K.

In some embodiments, the ILD layer 222 is made of silicon oxide. In someother embodiments, the ILD layer 222 is made of un-doped silicate glass(USG), fluorinated silicate glass (FSG), carbon-doped silicate glass,silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride.

In some embodiments, the ILD layer 222 is made of an extreme low-k (ELK)dielectric material with a dielectric constant (k) less than about 2.5.With geometric size shrinking as technology nodes advance to 30 nm andbeyond, ELK dielectric material is used to minimize device RC (timeconstant, R: resistance, C: capacitance) delay. In some embodiments, ELKdielectric materials include carbon doped silicon oxide, amorphousfluorinated carbon, parylene, bis-benzocyclobutenes (BCB),polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) (Teflon), or silicon oxycarbide polymers(SiOC). In some embodiments, ELK dielectric materials include a porousversion of an existing dielectric material, such as hydrogensilsesquioxane (HSQ), porous methyl silsesquioxane (MSQ), porouspolyarylether (PAE), porous SiLK, or porous silicon oxide (SiO₂). Insome embodiments, ELK dielectric material is deposited by a plasmaenhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process or by a spin coatingprocess.

In some embodiments, the deposition process of the ILD layer 222includes a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, alow pressure CVD process, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, aspin-on coating process, or another applicable process. In someembodiments, the planarization process includes a chemical mechanicalpolishing (CMP) process, a grinding process, an etching process, anotherapplicable process, or a combination thereof.

After the ILD layer 222 is formed, the dummy gate structures 215A and215C are removed to form a trench 250A in the first region 350A and atrench 250C in the second region 350B, as shown in FIG. 2L in accordancewith some embodiments. In addition, the trenches 250A and 250C areformed in the ILD layer 222. In some embodiments, a removal process isperformed to remove the exposed hard mask layers 214A and 214C, and theunderlying dummy gate structures 215A and 215C. As a result, trenches250A and 250C are formed over the fin structure 204. In someembodiments, a trench 250A is formed between the source/drain features220A and exposes a portion of the fin structure 204 that was previouslycovered by the dummy gate structure 215A. In addition, the trench 250Cmay be formed between the source/drain features 220C and exposes aportion of the fin structure 204 that was previously covered by thedummy gate structure 215C. In some embodiments, the removal processincludes a wet etching process, a dry etching process, anotherapplicable process, or a combination thereof.

After the trenches 250A and 250C are formed, metal gate structures 256Aand 256C are respectively formed in the trenches 250A and 250C, as shownin FIG. 2L in accordance with some embodiments. The metal gatestructures 256A and 256C are formed to replace the dummy gate structure215A and 215C. In some embodiments, the metal gate structures 256A and256C are formed over the fin structure 204. In addition, the metal gatestructure 256A may be surrounded by the gate spacers 218A. The metalgate structure 256C may be surrounded by the gate spacers 218C.

In some embodiments, the metal gate structure 256A positioned in thefirst region 350A includes a gate dielectric layer 252A and a gateelectrode layer 254A over the gate dielectric layer 252A. The gatedielectric layer 252A may conformally form over sidewalls and a bottomof each of the trench 250A. In addition, the gate electrode layer 254Amay be formed over the gate dielectric layer 252A and filling the trench250A. In some embodiments, the metal gate structure 256C positioned inthe second region 350B includes a gate dielectric layer 252C and a gateelectrode layer 254C over the gate dielectric layer 252C. The gatedielectric layer 252C may conformally form over sidewalls and a bottomof each of the trench 250C. In addition, the gate electrode layer 254Cmay be formed over the gate dielectric layer 252C and filling the trench250C.

In some embodiments, the gate dielectric layers 252A and 252C include asingle layer or multiple layers. In some embodiments, the gatedielectric layers 252A and 252C have a U-shape or a rectangular shape.In some embodiments, the gate dielectric layers 252A and 252C are formedof a high-k dielectric layer. The high-k dielectric layer may be made ofhafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon oxynitride,hafnium dioxide-alumina alloy, hafnium silicon oxide, hafnium siliconoxynitride, hafnium tantalum oxide, hafnium titanium oxide, hafniumzirconium oxide, another suitable high-k material, or a combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the gate dielectric layers 252A and 252Care made of a dielectric material with a dielectric constant in a rangefrom about 12 to about 50.

In some embodiments, the gate dielectric layers 252A and 252C are formedby a deposition process, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD),physical vapor deposition (PVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), highdensity plasma CVD (HDPCVD), metal organic CVD (MOCVD), or plasmaenhanced CVD (PECVD). In some embodiments, a high-temperature annealingoperation is performed to reduce or eliminate defects in the gatedielectric layers 252A and 252C.

In some other embodiments, before the gate dielectric layers 252A and252C are is formed, an interfacial layer (not shown) is formed in thetrenches 250A and 250C. The interfacial layer may be used to reducestress between the gate dielectric layers 252A and 252C and the finstructure 204. In some embodiments, the interfacial layer is made ofsilicon oxide. In some embodiments, the interfacial layer is formed by adeposition process, such as an ALD process, a thermal oxidation process,another applicable process, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the gate electrode layers 254A and 254C are made ofa conductive material, such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), tungsten (W),titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), or another applicable material. In someembodiments, the gate electrode layers 254A and 254C are formed by adeposition process, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physicalvapor deposition (PVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), high densityplasma CVD (HDPCVD), metal organic CVD (MOCVD), or plasma enhanced CVD(PECVD).

In some embodiments, a work function layer (not shown) may be formedbetween the gate dielectric layer 254A and the gate electrode layer 252Aof the metal gate structure 256A and between the gate dielectric layer254C and the gate electrode layer 252C of the metal gate structure 256C.The work function layer (not shown) is made of metal material, and themetal material may include N-work-function metal or P-work-functionmetal. The N-work-function metal may include tungsten (W), copper (Cu),titanium (Ti), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), titanium aluminum alloy(TiAl), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN), tantalum carbide (TaC),tantalum carbon nitride (TaCN), tantalum silicon nitride (TaSiN),manganese (Mn), zirconium (Zr) or a combination thereof. TheP-work-function metal may include titanium nitride (TiN), tungstennitride (WN), tantalum nitride (TaN), ruthenium (Ru) or a combinationthereof.

After the metal gate structures 256A and 256C are formed, source/drainsilicide layers 262A and source/drain contact plugs 260A above thesource/drain silicide layers 262A are formed over the source/drainfeatures 220A in the first region 350A, as shown in FIG. 2M inaccordance with some embodiments. In addition, the source/drain silicidelayers 262C and source/drain contact plugs 260C above the source/drainsilicide layers 262C are formed over the source/drain features 220C inthe second region 350B.

In some embodiments, the formation of the source/drain silicide layers262A and 262C and the source/drain contact plugs 260A and 260C includesperforming a patterning process to remove portions of the first ILDlayer 252 and the CESL 221 to form contact openings (not shown) untilthe source/drain features 220A in the first region 350A and thesource/drain features 220C in the second region 350B are exposed.Afterward, a silicidation process (not shown) is performed to formsource/drain silicide layers 262A and 262C respectively in the contactopenings and on the source/drain features 220A in the first region 350Aand the source/drain features 220C in the second region 350B. Afterward,a filling process (not shown) is performed to form the source/draincontact plugs 260A and 260C filling the contact openings.

In some embodiments, the patterning process includes a photolithographyprocess and a subsequent etching process. The photolithography processmay include photoresist coating (e.g., spin-on coating), soft baking,mask aligning, exposure, post-exposure baking, developing thephotoresist, rinsing and drying (e.g., hard baking). The etching processmay include a dry etching process or a wet etching process.

In some embodiments, the silicidation process includes an etching-backprocess, a metal material deposition process and an annealing processperformed in sequence. In some embodiments, the etching-back process ofthe silicidation process includes a dry etching process, a wet etchingprocess, or another applicable process. In some embodiments, thedeposition process of the silicidation process includes a physical vapordeposition (PVD) process, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, oranother applicable process. In some embodiments, the annealing processof the silicidation process is performed at a temperature in a rangefrom about 300° C. to about 800° C.

In some embodiments, the filling process includes a deposition processand a subsequent planarization process. In some embodiments, thedeposition process of the filling process includes a physical vapordeposition (PVD) process, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, oranother applicable process. In some embodiments, the deposition processincludes a plating method. In some embodiments, the planarizationprocess includes an etch-back process and/or a chemical mechanicalpolishing (CMP) process.

In some embodiments, the source/drain silicide layers 262A and 262C areformed of one or more of cobalt silicide (e.g., CoSi, CoSi₂, Co₂Si,Co₂Si, Co₃Si; collectively “Co silicide”), titanium silicide (e.g.,Ti₅Si₃, TiSi, TiSi₂, TiSi₃, Ti₆Si₄; collectively “Ti silicide”), nickelsilicide (e.g., Ni₃Si, Ni₃₁Si₁₂, Ni₂Si, Ni₃Si₂, NiSi, NiSi₂;collectively “Ni silicide”), copper silicide (e.g., Cu₁₇Si₃,Cu₅₆Si₁₁,Cu₅Si, Cu₃₃Si₇, Cu₄Si, Cu₁₉Si₆,Cu₃Si,Cu₈₇Si₁₃; collectively “Cusilicide”), tungsten silicide (W₅Si₃, WSi₂; collectively “W silicide”),and molybdenum silicide (MosSi, MosSis, MoSi₂; collectively “Mosilicide”).

In some embodiments, the source/drain contact plugs 260A and 260C aremade of a conductive material, such as copper (Cu), aluminum (Al),tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiN), tantalum (Ta),tantalum nitride (TaN), or another applicable material.

After performing the aforementioned processes, a FinFET 500A is formedover the fin structure 204 in the first region 350A and a FinFET 500C isformed over the fin structure 204 in the second region 350B. Moreover, asemiconductor structure 600A including the FinFET 500A (e.g. the N-typeFinFET) and the FinFET 500C (e.g. the P-type FinFET) is formed, as shownin FIG. 2M in accordance with some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the source/drain features 220A of the FinFET 500Aof the semiconductor structure 600A include the upper portion 220A-1formed laterally extending toward the channel region of the FinFET 500Ain the first region 350A (e.g. the NMOS region). The source/drainfeatures 220A may have closer proximity to the channel region of theFinFET 500A. In some other embodiments, the stages of a process forforming the source/drain features 220A is used to form the source/drainfeatures of the P-type FinFET 500C of the semiconductor structure 600A.

FIGS. 3A-3J are cross-sectional views of various stages of a process forforming a semiconductor structure 600B after performing the stage of theprocess for forming a semiconductor structure 600B shown in FIGS. 1C and2C. In addition, FIGS. 3A-3E illustrate various stages of a process forforming the source/drain features 220B of the FinFET 500B (e.g. theN-type FinFET) in the first region 350A (e.g. the NMOS region) of thesemiconductor structure 600B. The materials, configurations, structuresand/or processes of the semiconductor structure 600B may be similar to,or the same as, those of the semiconductor structure 600A, and thedetails thereof are not repeated herein.

After the gate spacer layer 218 is formed shown in FIGS. 1C and 2C, amask layer 352, such as a photoresist (PR), is formed to cover the finstructure 204 in the first region 350A, as shown in FIG. 3A inaccordance with some embodiments. The materials, configurations,structures and/or processes of the mask layer 352 shown in FIG. 3A maybe similar to, or the same as, those of the mask layer 352 shown in FIG.3D, and the details thereof are not repeated herein.

After the gate spacers 218A are formed, a plasma doping process 380 isperformed for the first region 350A (e.g. the NMOS region), as shown inFIG. 3B in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, theplasma doping process 380 includes a deposition process and a knock-onprocess. In addition, the deposition process and the knock-on processmay be simultaneously performed in the same chamber of a semiconductorprocessing system. The deposition process of the plasma doping process380 may be performed to form a dopant source layer 374 over the gatespacers 218A, the hard mask layer 214A and the dummy gate structure 215Ain the first region 350A. In addition, the dopant source layer 374 isformed over the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204 that is notcovered by the gate spacers 218A, the hard mask layer 214A and the dummygate structure 215A.

In some embodiments, the dopant source layer 374 includes dopants 376.The dopants 376 may include boron (B) or indium (In). In someembodiments, the deposition process is performed by using a suitabledopant source gases (e.g. a P-type dopant source gases) for the s firstregion 350A (e.g. the NMOS region). For example, the dopant source gasesmay include the boron gas (e.g. BH₃ or B₂H₆). Furthermore, thedeposition process may also include a dilution gas, such as argon (Ar),neon (Ne), helium (He), hydrogen (H), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), or acombination thereof. In some embodiments, a thickness T2 of the dopantsource layer 374 is in a range from about 5 Å to 50 Å.

The knock-on process of the plasma doping process 380 is configured todrive the dopants 376 of the dopant source layer 374 into a portion ofthe fin structure 204 in the first region 350A (e.g. the NMOS region).The knock-on process may include injecting a knock-on gas in the firstregion 350A. The knock-on process may be used to uniformly push thedopants 376 of the dopant source layer 374 into the portion of the finstructure 204 from the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204.Therefore, the doped regions 362B including the dopants 376 are formedadjacent to the outer sidewalls 213A of the gate spacers 218A in thefirst region 350A. The knock-on process is performed by using an inertgas including xenon (Xe), helium (He), argon (Ar), neon (Ne), krypton(Kr), the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, theplasma doping process 380 is performed using a gas source including theP-type dopant (e.g. B) and Xe, with an implantation energy in a rangefrom about 0.1 KeV to about 10 KeV. A dosage of the dopants 376 (e.g. B)may be in a range from about 1E15 atoms/cm² to about 1E17 atoms/cm². Thegas source (e.g. B and Xe) may be activated into plasma by any suitablemethod of generating the plasma, such as transformer coupled plasmagenerator, inductively coupled plasma systems, magnetically enhancedreactive ion etching, electron cyclotron resonance, a remote plasmagenerator, or the like.

After the plasma doping process 360 is performed, doped regions 362B areformed extending from the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204 intoa portion of the fin structure 204. In addition, the doped regions 362Bare formed outside the outer sidewalls 213A of the gate spacers 218A inthe first region 350A. The concentration of the dopants 376 in the dopedregions 362B may be in a range from about 1E19 atoms/cm³ to about 1E21atoms/cm³.

After the doped regions 362B are formed, the dopant source layer 374 isremoved from the first region 350A using a wet etching process or othersuitable method. In some embodiments, a wet etching process is performedusing sulfuric peroxide mixture (SPM), which is an acid including H₂SO₄and H₂O₂. The SPM has an etch selectivity between the dopant sourcelayer 374 and the gate spacers 218A and between the dopant source layer374 and the hard mask layer 214A. Therefore, the SPM may remove dopantsource layer 374 without substantially attacking the gate spacers 218Aand the hard mask layer 214A. In some embodiments, the wet etchingprocess conditions (e.g. time, temperature) are controlled such that thewet etching process removes the dopant source layer 374 withoutsubstantially removing the dopants 376 in the doped regions 362B (andembedded in the gate spacers 218A) in the first region 350A. In someembodiments, the wet etching process is performed for a time interval ina range from about 15 seconds to about 180 seconds, such as 45 seconds,using a high temperature SPM solution at a temperature in a range fromabout 80° C. to about 200° C.

After the dopant source layer 374 is removed, an annealing process 381is performed to diffuse the dopants 376, so that the diffused dopedregion 362B is formed in a portion of the fin structure 204, as shown inFIG. 3C in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, thediffused doped region 362B is laterally (along the direction 300)diffused under the gate spacers 218A. In other words, the diffused dopedregion 362B overlaps the gate spacers 218A. The diffused doped region362B may have a depth D2 in a range from about 0.1 nm to 10 nm. Thedepth D2 is along a direction perpendicular to the top surface 205 ofthe fin structure 204. In some embodiments, the annealing process 381may be performed in the same chamber as the plasma doping process 380.In some embodiments, the annealing process 381 may be performed in achamber different from the chamber used in the plasma doping process360. The annealing process 381 may activate the dopants 376 (e.g. theP-type dopants) in the doped regions 362B. In addition, the annealingprocess 381 may drive the dopant 376 (e.g. the P-type dopant) embeddedin the gate spacers 218B into the fin structure 204 in the second region350B. In some embodiments, the annealing process 381 is a spikeannealing process performed at a temperature in a range from about 1000°C. and about 1050° C., such as 1045° C., for a time interval in a rangefrom about 1 second to about 2 seconds, and in a ambient including O₂.

After the diffused doped region 362B is formed, an etching process 383is performed to remove the doped region 362B and the underlying finstructure 204 in the second region 350B and not covered by the dummygate structure 215A and the gate spacers 218A, as shown in FIG. 3D inaccordance with some embodiments. The etching process 383 is performedto form recesses 219B adjacent the gate spacers 218A and in the finstructure 204 in the first region 350A. The recesses 219B are configuredto provide positions of a source/drain features formed in the subsequentprocesses.

In some embodiments, the etching process 383 has a first etching rateduring the removal of the doped region 362B including the dopants 376 inthe first region 350A of the fin structure 204 and has a second etchingrate during the removal of the fin structure 204 underlying the dopedregion 362B. The dopants 376 (e.g. the P-type dopants) in the dopedregion 362B may decrease the etching rate due to the lower electrondensity caused by coulomb repulsion. Therefore, the first etching ratemay be different from the second etching rate. For example, the firstetching rate of the etching process 383 is slower than the secondetching rate of the etching process 383. In some embodiments, theetching process 383 is a dry etching process. In some embodiments,etching gases used in the etching process 383 include HBr, NF₃, O₂ andother suitable etching gases.

In some embodiments, each of the recesses 219B has an upper sidewallportion 464 adjacent to the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204 anda lower sidewall portion 465 below the upper portion 464. The uppersidewall portion 464 and the lower sidewall portion 465 of each of therecesses 219B may be close to the channel region of the semiconductorstructure 600B. The upper sidewall portion 464 is adjacent to and issurrounded by the doped region 362B. In addition, the lower sidewallportion 465 is adjacent to the upper portion 464. Moreover, the lowersidewall portion 465 is positioned outside and below the doped region362B. In some embodiments, the upper portion 464 of each of the recesses219B is positioned directly below the corresponding gate spacer 218A,and the lower sidewall portion 465 is aligned the outer sidewall 213A ofthe corresponding gate spacer 218A.

In some embodiments, the upper sidewall portion 464 and the lowersidewall portion 465 of each of the recesses 219B have differentprofiles in the cross-sectional view (FIG. 3D) along the longitudinaldirection of the fin structure 204 (e.g. the direction 300). Forexample, the upper sidewall portion 464 may be a rounded (curved) andconvex sidewall portion, and the lower sidewall portion 465 may be asubstantially straight sidewall portion. Therefore, the upper sidewallportion 464 and the lower sidewall portion 465 may collectively form abent sidewall of each of the recesses 219B. The bent sidewall of each ofthe recesses 219B is positioned adjacent to the channel region and thecorresponding gate spacer 218A of the semiconductor structure 600B.

After the recesses 219B is formed in the fin structure 204 in the firstregion 350A, source/drain features 220B are formed in the recesses 219Bin the second region 350B of the fin structure 204, as shown in FIG. 3Ein accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the fillingprocess (not shown) is performed by filling the recesses 219B with oneor more strained semiconductor materials to form the source/drainfeatures 220B.

In some embodiments, the source/drain features 220B are formed adjacentto or next to the lightly doped regions (not shown) close to the dummygate structure 215A. The source/drain features 220B are respectivelyformed on the opposites of the dummy gate structure 215A. In someembodiments, each of the source/drain features 220B has a portion 220B1embedded in the fin structure 204 (and below the top surface 205 of thefin structure 204. The portion 220B1 may have an upper sidewall portion494 and a lower sidewall portion 495. The upper sidewall portion 494 ofthe portion 220B1 may be adjacent to the top surface 205 of the finstructure 204 and close to the channel region of the semiconductorstructure 600B. In addition, the upper sidewall portion 494 of theportion 220B1 may be surrounded by the doped region 362B. The lowersidewall portion 495 of the portion 220B1 may be positioned below theupper sidewall portion 494.

In some embodiments, the upper sidewall portion 494 of the portion 220B1has a rounded (curved) and concave profile, and the lower sidewallportion 495 of the portion 220A1 has a straight profile shown in FIG.3E. Therefore, a first curve radius of the upper sidewall portion 494 ofthe portion 220B1 may be different from a second curve radius of thelower sidewall portion 495 of the portion 220B1 in the cross-sectionalview (FIG. 2L) along the longitudinal direction of the fin structure 204(e.g. the direction 300). In addition, the absolute value of the firstcurve radius of the upper sidewall portion 494 is less than the absolutevalue of the second curve radius of the lower sidewall portion 495 ofthe portion 220B1 of the source/drain feature 220B in the first region350A. For example, the first curve radius of the upper sidewall portion494 has a negative value, and the second curve radius of the lowersidewall portion 495 has an infinite value.

In some embodiments, the portion 220B1 of each of the source/drainfeatures 220B in the first region 350A includes an upper portion 220B-1and a lower portion 220B-2. The upper portion 220BA-1 is positionedclose to the top surface 205 of the fin structure 204 and overlappingthe corresponding gate spacer 218A. In addition, the lower portion220B-2 is positioned below the upper portion 220B-1. The upper portion220B-1 of the portion 220B1 of each of the source/drain features 220B inthe second region 350B has a concave edge (i.e. the upper sidewallportion 494). The lower portion 220B-2 of the portion 220B1 of each ofthe source/drain features 220B in the first region 350A has a straightedge (i.e. the lower sidewall portion 495). Furthermore, the width WB-1of the first upper portion 220B-1 is less than the width WB-2 of thefirst lower portion 220B-2.

In some embodiments, the plasma doping process 380 is performed to formthe doped region 362B having a shallow depth (e.g. the depth D1 in arange from about 0.1 nm to 10 nm) and a heavy concentration of P-typedopants (e.g. in a range from about 1E19 atoms/cm³ to about 1E21atoms/cm³), the upper portion 220B-1 of the portion 220B1 of each of thesource/drain features 220B is formed laterally extending away from thechannel region of the semiconductor structure 600B in the first region350A (e.g. the NMOS region), the carrier mobility and the deviceperformance of the semiconductor structure 600B can be improved byadjusting the proximity of the embedded portion (the upper portion220B-1 of the portion 220B1) of the source/drain features 220B (i.e. thedistance between the upper portion 220B-1 of the portion 220B1 and thechannel region of the resulting finFET 500B of the semiconductorstructure 600B).

In some embodiments, the source/drain features 220B may include a strainmaterial to apply stress to the channel region 315. For example, thesource/drain features 220A are formed of Ge, SiGe, InAs, InGaAs, InSb,GaAs, GaSb, InAlP, InP, or the like. In some embodiments, the latticeconstant of the source/drain features 220B are different from thelattice constant of the fin structure 204. In some embodiments, thesource/drain features 220B have a diamond shape. In some embodiments, atop of each of the source/drain features 220B is higher than the topsurface 205 of the fin structure 204.

In some embodiments, the filling process includes an epitaxial process,such as a selective epitaxial growth (SEG) process, CVD depositiontechniques (e.g. vapor-phase epitaxy (VPE) and/or ultra-high vacuum CVD(UHV-CVD)), molecular beam epitaxy, or another suitable epitaxialprocess. After the source/drain features 220B are formed in the finstructure 204 in the first region 350A, the mask layer 352 is removed.

After the source/drain features 220B are formed, a mask layer 372, suchas a photoresist (PR), is formed to cover the fin structure 204 in thefirst region 350A, as shown in FIG. 3F in accordance with someembodiments. The materials, configurations, structures and/or processesof the mask layer 372 shown in FIG. 3F may be similar to, or the sameas, those of the mask layer 372 shown in FIG. 2I, and the detailsthereof are not repeated herein.

After the gate spacers 218C are formed, recesses 219C are formedadjacent the gate spacers 218C and in the fin structure 204 in thesecond region 350B. In addition, source/drain features 220C are formedin the recesses 219C in the second region 350B of the fin structure 204,as shown in FIG. 3G in accordance with some embodiments. The position,profile and/or processes of the recesses 219C shown in FIG. 3G may besimilar to, or the same as, those of the recesses 219C shown in FIG. 2J,and the details thereof are not repeated herein. The materials,configurations, structures and/or processes of the source/drain features220C shown in FIG. 3G may be similar to, or the same as, those of thesource/drain features 220C shown in FIG. 2J, and the details thereof arenot repeated herein.

After the source/drain features 220C are formed, a contact etch stoplayer (CESL) 221 and an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) layer 222 areformed over the fin structure 204, the source/drain features 220B and220C, and the dummy gate structures 215A and 215C, as shown in FIG. 3Hin accordance with some embodiments. The materials, configurations,structures and/or processes of the CESL 221 and the ILD layer 222 shownin FIG. 3G may be similar to, or the same as, those of the CESL 221 andthe ILD layer 222 shown in FIG. 2J, and the details thereof are notrepeated herein.

After the ILD layer 222 is formed, the dummy gate structures 215A and215C are removed to form a trench 250A in the first region 350A and atrench 250C in the second region 350B. Afterwards, metal gate structures256A and 256C are respectively formed in the trenches 250A and 250C, asshown in FIG. 3I in accordance with some embodiments. The position,profile and/or processes of the trenches 250A and 250C shown in FIG. 3Imay be similar to, or the same as, those of the trenches 250A and 250Cshown in FIG. 2L, and the details thereof are not repeated herein. Thematerials, configurations, structures and/or processes of the metal gatestructures 256A and 256C shown in FIG. 3I may be similar to, or the sameas, those of the metal gate structures 256A and 256C shown in FIG. 2L,and the details thereof are not repeated herein.

After the metal gate structures 256A and 256C are formed, source/drainsilicide layers 262A and source/drain contact plugs 260A above thesource/drain silicide layers 262A are formed over the source/drainfeatures 220B in the first region 350A. In addition, the source/drainsilicide layers 262C and source/drain contact plugs 260C above thesource/drain silicide layers 262C are formed over the source/drainfeatures 220C in the second region 350B, as shown in FIG. 3J inaccordance with some embodiments. The materials, configurations,structures and/or processes of the source/drain silicide layers 262A,262B and the source/drain contact plugs 260A, 260C shown in FIG. 3J maybe similar to, or the same as, those of source/drain silicide layers262A and source/drain contact plugs 260A shown in FIG. 2M, and thedetails thereof are not repeated herein.

After performing the aforementioned processes, a FinFET 500B is formedover the fin structure 204 in the first region 350A and a FinFET 500C isformed over the fin structure 204 in the second region 350B. Moreover, asemiconductor structure 600B including the FinFET 500B (e.g. the N-typeFinFET) and the FinFET 500C (e.g. the P-type FinFET) is formed, as shownin FIG. 3J in accordance with some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the source/drain features 220B of the FinFET 500Binclude the upper portion 220B-1 formed laterally extending away fromthe channel region of the FinFET 500B in the first region 350A (e.g. theNMOS region). The source/drain features 220B may have a farer proximityto the channel region of the FinFET 500B. In some other embodiments, thestages of a process for forming the source/drain features 220B is usedto form the source/drain features of the P-type FinFET 500C of thesemiconductor structure 600B.

Embodiments of a semiconductor structure (e.g. the semiconductorstructure 600A and the semiconductor structure 600B) and a method forforming the same are provided. The semiconductor structure includes agate structure (e.g. the dummy gate structure 215A and the metal gatestructure 256A) and a source/drain feature (e.g. the source/drainfeatures 220A and 220B). The gate structure is positioned over a finstructure (e.g. the fin structure 204). The source/drain feature ispositioned adjacent to the gate structure. A portion (e.g. the portions220A1 and 220B1) of the source/drain feature embedded in the finstructure has an upper sidewall portion (e.g. the upper sidewallportions 394 and 494) adjacent to a top surface (e.g. the top surface205) of the fin structure and a lower sidewall portion (e.g. the lowersidewall portions 395 and 495) below the upper sidewall portion. A firstcurve radius of the upper sidewall portion is different from a secondcurve radius of the lower sidewall portion in a cross-sectional viewsubstantially along the longitudinal direction of the fin structure. Thesemiconductor structure further includes a doped region (e.g. the dopedregion 362A and 362B) formed in an upper portion of the fin structureand adjacent to the gate structure by a plasma doping process. In someembodiments, the doped region has a shallow depth (e.g. the depth D1 ina range from about 0.1 nm to 10 nm) and a heavy concentration of N-type(or P-type) dopants (e.g. in a range from about 1E19 atoms/cm³ to about1E21 atoms/cm³). During the etching process of the source/drainfeatures, the etching process may have different etching rates in thedoped region and the underlying portion of the fin structure. Therefore,the distance between the gate structure and the upper portion of thesource/drain feature embedded in the fin structure (i.e. the proximityof the source/drain feature) can be precisely controlled. The carriermobility and the device performance of the semiconductor structure canbe improved.

Embodiments of a semiconductor structure and a method for forming thesame are provided. The semiconductor structure includes a gate structureand a source/drain feature. The gate structure is positioned over a finstructure. The source/drain feature is positioned adjacent to the gatestructure. A portion of the source/drain feature embedded in the finstructure has an upper sidewall portion adjacent to a top surface of thefin structure and a lower sidewall portion below the upper sidewallportion. A first curve radius of the upper sidewall portion is differentfrom a second curve radius of the lower sidewall portion in across-sectional view substantially along the longitudinal direction ofthe fin structure. In some embodiments, the semiconductor structure usesa shallow and heavily doped region to change the profile of the uppersidewall portion of source/drain feature. Therefore, the distancebetween the gate structure and the upper portion of the source/drainfeature embedded in the fin structure can be precisely controlled. Thecarrier mobility and the device performance of the semiconductorstructure can be improved.

In some embodiments, a semiconductor structure is provided. Thesemiconductor structure includes a gate structure and a source/drainfeature. The gate structure is positioned over a top surface andextending over sidewalls of a fin structure. The source/drain feature ispositioned adjacent to the gate structure. A portion of the source/drainfeature embedded in the fin structure has an upper sidewall portionadjacent to a top surface of the fin structure and a lower sidewallportion below the upper portion. A first curve radius of the uppersidewall portion is different from a second curve radius of the lowersidewall portion in a cross-sectional view substantially along thelongitudinal direction of the fin structure.

In some embodiments, a semiconductor structure is provided. Thesemiconductor structure includes a fin structure, a first gatestructure, first gate spacers, a second gate structure, firstsource/drain features second and source/drain features. The finstructure protrudes from a substrate and extending along a firstdirection. The fin structure has a first region and a second regionarranged along a first direction. The first gate structure is positionedover the fin structure in the first region. The first gate spacers arepositioned on opposite sidewalls of the first gate structure. The secondgate structure is positioned over the fin structure in the secondregion. The second gate spacers are positioned on opposite sidewalls ofthe second gate structure. The first source/drain features arepositioned in the fin structure in the first region and adjacent to theouter sidewalls of the first gate spacers. A portion of each of thefirst source/drain features embedded in the fin structure includes afirst upper sidewall portion adjacent to a top surface of the finstructure. The second source/drain features are positioned in the finstructure in the second region and adjacent to the outer sidewalls ofthe second gate spacers. A portion of each of the second source/drainfeatures embedded in the fin structure includes a second sidewallportion. A first curvature of the first upper sidewall portion isdifferent from a second curvature of the second upper sidewall portion.

In some embodiments, a method for forming a semiconductor structure isprovided. The method includes forming a first gate structure over a finstructure and in a first region of the fin structure. The method alsoincludes forming first gate spacers over the fin structure and on theopposite sidewalls of the first gate structure. The method furtherincludes performing a deposition process to form a dopant source layerover the first gate structure, the first gate spacers and the finstructure. The method further includes performing a knock-on process todrive dopants of the dopant source layer into the first region of thefin structure. The method further includes removing the dopant sourcelayer. The method further includes performing an annealing process todiffuse the dopant, so that a doped region is formed in a portion of thefin structure.

In some embodiments, a method for forming a semiconductor structureincludes forming a fin structure over a substrate. The method alsoincludes forming a gate structure across the fin structure. The methodalso includes depositing a dopant source layer over the gate structure.The method also includes driving dopants of the dopant source layer intothe fin structure. The method also includes removing the dopant sourcelayer. The method also includes annealing the dopants in the finstructure to form a doped region. The method also includes etching thedoped region and the fin structure below the doped region to form arecess. The method also includes growing a source/drain feature in therecess.

In some embodiments, a method for forming a semiconductor structureincludes forming a first gate structure over a fin structure in a firstregion of a substrate. The method also includes forming a second gatestructure over the fin structure in a second region of the substrate.The method also includes covering the second gate structure with a firstmask layer. The method also includes forming a dopant source layer overthe first gate structure and the first mask layer. The method alsoincludes driving dopants of the dopant source layer into the finstructure in the first region. The method also includes removing thedopant source layer. The method also includes laterally diffusing thedopants to form a doped region in the fin structure. The method alsoincludes etching the doped region and the fin structure in the firstregion and forming a first recess besides the first gate structure in afirst region. The method also includes growing a first source/drainfeature in the first recess. The method also includes removing the firstmask layer. The method also includes forming a second source/drainfeature besides the second gate structure.

In some embodiments, a semiconductor structure is provided. Thesemiconductor structure includes a gate structure over a substrate. Thesemiconductor structure also includes a gate spacer on a sidewall of thegate structure. The semiconductor structure also includes a source/drainfeature adjacent to the gate structure. The semiconductor structure alsoincludes a doped region extending along a bottom surface of the gatespacer. The source/drain feature has a curved sidewall connecting a topsurface of the doped region and a bottom surface of the doped region.

In some embodiments, a semiconductor structure is provided. Thesemiconductor structure includes a fin structure protruding from asubstrate. The semiconductor structure also includes a gate structureover the fin structure. The semiconductor structure also includes a gatespacer on a sidewall of the gate structure. The semiconductor structurealso includes a source/drain feature in the fin structure and adjacentto a sidewall of the gate spacer. The semiconductor structure alsoincludes doped regions extending along a top surface of the finstructure and on opposite sides of the source/drain feature. Thesource/drain feature has an upper portion above the doped regions, alower portion below the doped regions, and a curved portion connectingthe upper portion and the lower portion.

In some embodiments, a semiconductor structure is provided. Thesemiconductor structure includes a gate structure over a fin structure.The semiconductor structure also includes a gate spacer on a sidewall ofthe gate structure. The semiconductor structure also includes asource/drain feature adjacent to a sidewall of the gate spacer andhaving a first depth from a top surface of the fin structure. Thesemiconductor structure also includes a doped region extending from asidewall of the gate structure to a curved sidewall of the source/drainfeature and having a second depth from the top surface of the finstructure, wherein the first depth is greater than the second depth.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that thoseskilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the presentdisclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they mayreadily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifyingother processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/orachieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein.Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, andalterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor structure, comprising: a gatestructure over a substrate; a gate spacer on a sidewall of the gatestructure; a source/drain feature adjacent to the gate structure; and adoped region extending along a bottom surface of the gate spacer,wherein the source/drain feature has a curved sidewall connecting a topsurface of the doped region and a bottom surface of the doped region. 2.The semiconductor structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gatespacer is above the curved sidewall of the source/drain feature.
 3. Thesemiconductor structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first interfacebetween the gate spacer and the source/drain feature and a secondinterface between the fin structure and the source/drain feature arespaced apart by the curved sidewall of the source/drain feature.
 4. Thesemiconductor structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a depth of thesource/drain feature in the substrate is greater than a depth of thedoped region in the substrate along a direction perpendicular to a topsurface of the substrate.
 5. The semiconductor structure as claimed inclaim 4, wherein the depth of the dope region is in a range from about0.1 nm to about 10 nm.
 6. The semiconductor structure as claimed inclaim 1, wherein a concentration of dopants in the doped region is in arange from about 1E19 atoms/cm³ to about 1E21 atoms/cm³.
 7. Asemiconductor structure, comprising: a fin structure protruding from asubstrate; a gate structure over the fin structure; a gate spacer on asidewall of the gate structure; a source/drain feature in the finstructure and adjacent to a sidewall of the gate spacer; and dopedregions extending along a top surface of the fin structure and onopposite sides of the source/drain feature, wherein the source/drainfeature has an upper portion above the doped regions, a lower portionbelow the doped regions, and a curved portion connecting the upperportion and the lower portion.
 8. The semiconductor structure as claimedin claim 7, wherein a width of the curved portion is greater than awidth of the lower portion and greater than a width of the upperportion.
 9. The semiconductor structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein awidth of the curved portion is less than a width of the lower portionand less than a width of the upper portion.
 10. The semiconductorstructure as claimed in claim 7, wherein the doped regions compriseboron or indium.
 11. The semiconductor structure as claimed in claim 7,wherein the doped regions are spaced apart by the curved portion of thesource/drain feature.
 12. The semiconductor structure as claimed inclaim 7, wherein one of the doped regions is in contact with anisolation region in the substrate.
 13. The semiconductor structure asclaimed in claim 7, further comprising a contact etch stop layerextending from the gate spacer to the doped region and covering theupper portion of the source/drain feature.
 14. The semiconductorstructure as claimed in claim 7, wherein a sidewall of the upper portionof the source/drain feature is aligned with a sidewall of the lowerportion of the source/drain feature.
 15. A semiconductor structure,comprising: a gate structure over a fin structure; a gate spacer on asidewall of the gate structure; a source/drain feature adjacent to asidewall of the gate spacer and having a first depth from a top surfaceof the fin structure; and a doped region extending from a sidewall ofthe gate structure to a curved sidewall of the source/drain feature andhaving a second depth from the top surface of the fin structure, whereinthe first depth is greater than the second depth.
 16. The semiconductorstructure as claimed in claim 15, wherein the curved sidewall of thesource/drain feature has a convex or concave profile.
 17. Thesemiconductor structure as claimed in claim 15, wherein a portion of thedoped region is surrounded by the source/drain feature.
 18. Thesemiconductor structure as claimed in claim 15, wherein the curvedsidewall of the source/drain feature is surrounded by the doped region.19. The semiconductor structure as claimed in claim 15, wherein thecurved sidewall of the source/drain feature is adjacent to the topsurface of the fin structure.
 20. The semiconductor structure as claimedin claim 15, further comprising a source/drain silicide layer above thecurved sidewall of the source/drain feature.